Conveyer



J L. GIBSON Aug. 5, 1952 CONVEYER 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Filed Feb. 3, 1950 INVENTOR. flan/14 GIBSON.

III, I TTGRNYS.

J L. GIBSON Aug. 5, 1952 CONVEYER 2 SIIEETSSHEET 2 Filed Feb. 5, 1950 MM ms 3: mm 2 m6 0 u w Patented Aug. 5, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcEf .I-Lowell' Gibson. Dayton, Ohio, assignor to Gen eral. Motors Corporation, Dayton; Ohio,, a. cor.. poration of Delaware Application February 3, 1950, Serial No. 142346 Claims. 1-.

This: invention relates to conveyors and: particnlarly to. conveyors oft the endless type.

An object of my invention is. to provide an improved endless conveyor of' great strength and low manufacturing cost for use in bottled beverage storing; cooling and dispensing apparatus.

Another object of my invention is to provide a. conveyor with a plurality of bottle-receiving and: carrying receptacles formed of two half gated sheet metal member I l of substantially members secured together by a means: which semi-cylindrical shape in cross-sectional contour. connects'the receptaclesin endless relation to one Member II. is preferably stamped from sheet another and also provides a hinge between adaluminum and is formed to-providestraightopr jac'ent receptacles. posite marginal edges l2 and i3, ends l4. and: [:5 A; further object of my invention is to: provide and bent intermediate-theedges I2 and. i3 intolan aconveyorwith apluralityof substantiallycylins l5 arcuate' or semi-cylindrical shape (see Fig. 3:). drical-shaped bottle-receiving: and carrying re;- The member H is provided with integralspaced ceptacles by turning one-of two similarly formed apart extensions along itsmarginal edges I2 and semi-cylindrical members of each receptable over I 3: which extensions are rolled or f-ormedinto into face-to-face relation with the other member substantiallythe shape of eyelet-like bearing per.- and locking. the same to one. another and to the time IT and is projecting. outwardly from the members of: adjacent receptacles of the conveyor opposite marginal edges l2 and ['3 respectively. by a common connecting means which forms a Thespaced; apartieyelet-like bearing. portions l1 hinge-between the adjacent receptacles. projectingoutwardly from marginal edge: t2; of Astill further object of my'invention is to romember H are arranged in staggered relationto videv a:- continuous conveyor comprisingav pluthe portions l8 projecting from the marginal rality' of hinged together open end. receptacles I edge I135 of'member II for a. purpose to behereinwith link means between the hinges of adjacent after described- It will be noted. that there are receptacles which link means extends across one three of the eyelet projections-[:1 along the edge of. theopenends of. eachreceptacle. and. forms a [2 of member H- and. only two such projections stops for a bottle. tov be received'inl the receptable. I8" along the vmar-ignal edge" [3. It will also; he Further objectsand advantages. of thepresent =71 notedthat one. of the" projections: i1" is located at invention: will be. apparent; fromthe.v following the end l4 of member ll. while: another projecdescription, reference being had to; the accomtion IT is placed a short distance-from the end D y drawings, wherein P e o m of 15 0f member H. The two longitudinally spaced the present invention is clearly shown. apart projections [8 arelocated opposite: the In. thedraw-ingsz. spaces between: the end and intermediate projec- 1 is a p Viaw Of one) Of? a plurality of tions IT. A portion at the edge of each end l4 elongated Semi-cylindrical. Shaped. sheet metal and 15. of" member" H is: deformed: or flanged as memb rs empl ed'i -th stru ti i' y at It to provide a curved lip. which extends proved conveyor; 40 throughout:-a -part1 of? the. semi cylindrical con- Fig. 2 is a side: view of. the member disclosed tou thereof, 111 Fig: 1'; In assembling the conveyorof the presentin- Fi 3-' is an nd view of t e semiecylindrical vention I turn oneof'the'members It, formedor member looking in. the directionoft thearrow in shaped: as dgepibedysuch for-example; as-mem- Fig". 2*, berlla, overintoface-to-face relation with and Fi 4 is an; endv view of. two. of the members rotatethe same 180 degreesrelative toanother of shewnini-Figsr Zand placed-together p the similar'or identical members It, as'shown; in videa.substantiallycylindricalreceptacle; Fig. 4. of the drawings; to form a substantially Fig. 5 is. a side view of the. receptacle disclosed cylindrical shaped pocket. or" receptacle generimFig. 4- and shows'aportion of other similar reallyrepresented. by the reference character 2|. ceptacles adapted: to be placed into association 3 Instead of first turning; member Ha; over: and therewith; thereafterrotating. the same 180 degrees about Fig. 6 is'a view'ofa portion of a continuous cona vertical axis- Ima-yplace'member H a in faceveyor formed by connecting. a plurality of the toeiacerrelationship'with member 11' by; merely rotating it degrees about aghorizontal axis cylindrical receptacles shown in Figs, 4. and: 5* together;

to bring? the eyelet-.like.:.projections on similar longitudinal side of the conveyor.

marginal edges of each member in alignment with one another. It is to be understood that the two sheet metal members H and Ila of receptacle 2| are identical in size, shape and in the number and arrangement of the marginal eyelet projections and I am merely employing the sufiix a to certain numerals to more clearly describe and illustrate the invention. It isto be further understood that the term face-to-face as used in the present description applies to the inner surface or face of members I I. By placing the one member Ila into face-to-face cooperative relation with a companion member as described, the eyelet-like bearing portions Ila along the marginal edge I2a of member Na and the eyelet portions I! along the marginal edge I2 of member II, are disposed on the same side of receptacle 2| and are in alignment with one another. Likewise eyelet-like bearing portions IBa along the marginal edge I3a of member I Ia-and eyelet portions 8 along the'ma'r'ginal edge I3 of member I|- are disposed on the same side of receptacle 2| and are in alignment with one another (see Fig. Thus the end I4 of the one member II is disposed directly acrossfrom the end. I5 of'the other member. Thes'paced'apart "and staggered arrangement of the eyelet-like bearing portions I'I, I8, I'Ia and |8a along the marginal edges of members II and I Ia of'the cylindrical bottle receptacle 2| provides alternate spaces, indicated by the reference character 23,

along one side of receptacle 2| and alternate spaces, indicated by'the reference character 24, along the oppositeside of receptacle 2| (see Fig.

5). A plurality of members Ila are turned and rotated and placed into cooperation withicoinpanion member II to provide a series of the receptacles 2| as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings.

Thereafter one of the adjacent receptacles 2 Ia is mov'ed toward receptacle 2| to position the eyelet-like projections I8 and Ita thereon in the spaces 23'so that the eyelet-like portions iI'lqand I'la on receptacle 2| align with the portions I8 'andJIBa on the receptacle 2| a. Another receptacle 2 lb adjacent receptacle 2| is'moved toward receptacle 2| to position the eyelet-like portions I1 and I la thereon in' the spaces 24 on the opponoted that the eyelet-like portions II, Ila, IS and IBa of the members I I of receptacles 2| receive a bolt 26 which looks each of the members I I- and Na of receptacles 2| in face-to-face relation with one another. The bolts 26 include a head 21 at their one end and their'opposite end is riveted over as at 28 to preventremoval of the bolts from the conveyor. It should be noted that the bolts 25 in addition to locking the semicylindrical shaped members IIand'II'a of each receptacle 2| together, also provide a hinge between adja- "Q6111? receptacles 2| to permit a pivotal movement of one receptacle 2| relative to an adjacent receptacle of the series thereof. I have provided rigid connecting means between adjacent pins or bolts 26 or the continuous conveyor wh ch means serves a double purpose. Referring to Figs. 6 and 7 I show a plurality of metal links 29 along one One link 29 filled with bottles of beverage or the like, also serve, by virtue of their extension across the open rear ends of the receptacles, as stops for preventing bottles of beverage from projecting outwardly of the back of receptacles 2| of the conveyor.

In Fig. 8 of the drawings I have shown a continuous conveyor comprising a plurality of bottle receptacles constructed and connected together as hereinbefore described. The conveyor, generally represented by the reference character 38, is draped or looped over a plurality of idler pulleys 3| and over at least one driving sprocket 32. The pulleys 3| and sprocket 32 maybe mounted on the inner side of a back'wall of a coinparti'nent of a cabinet in which the bottled beverages are to be stored and cooled prior to being'dispensed through a door or window in the front wall of the cabinet. Such a door or window may be coin controlled and the conveyor may be progressively moved or indexed to bring a bottleto be dispensed into alignment with the dispensing door or window in response to the manual operation of a leverage device or the like as is well known and conventional in the art. Since walls of the metal receptacles contact or closely embrace bottles located therein the outwardly flared lips I9 and i a'on members II and ||a respectively of the receptacles 2| serve to guide the bottles into the cylindrical receptacles during the act'of filling the receptacles 2| of the conveyor 32:.

From the foregoing it should be apparent that I have provided an improved conveyor and one that is constructed to form cylindrical bottlereceiving and carrying receptacles from companion or identical semi-cylindrical members. The use of identical members, turned and rotated as herein described to form the bottle receptacles simplifies the conveyor structure and requires the making of only a single punching and forming die for producing the members constituting the bottle receptacles. This feature together with the formation of the bottle receptacles from sheet metal and the locking of members of the receptacles to one'another by a means that also forms a hinge between adjacent bottle receptacles greatly reduces the cost of manufacturing conveyors.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, as may come within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In combination, a plurality of substantially cylindrical bottle receiving and carrying receptacles, means connecting said receptacles in continuous side by side relation to provide an endless conveyor with a hinge between each receptacle thereof, each receptacle of theendless conveyor including two elongated substantially semi-cylindrical identical sheet metal members, each of said identical members having integral spaced apart eyelet-like portions projecting outwardly from'opposite marginal edges thereof, one of said identical members of each receptacle being turned into face-to-face relation with the other member thereof withthe eyelet-like projecting portions on similar marginal edges of each member in alignment with one another, and the projecting eyelet-like portions on said members receiving said receptacle connecting means for locking each of the identical members of the receptacles against movement relative to one another.

2. In combination, a plurality of substantially cylindrical bottle receiving and carrying receptacles, means connecting said receptacles in continuous side by side relation to provide an endless conveyor With a hinge between each receptacle thereof, each receptacle of the endless conveyor including two elongated substantially semi-cylindrical identical sheet metal members, each of said identical members having integral spaced apart eyelet-like portions projecting outwardly from opposite marginal edges thereof, one of said identical members of each receptacle being turned into face-to-face relation with the other member thereof with the eyelet-like projecting portions on similar marginal edges of each member in alignment with one another, the projecting eyelet-like portions on said members receiving said receptacle connecting means for locking each of the identical members of the receptacles against movement relative to one another, and a plurality of links having their ends secured to said receptacle connecting means and extending continuously across one end of each receptacle to form a stop for a bottle to be received therein.

3. In combination, a plurality of substantially cylindrical open-end bottle receiving and carry ing receptacles, bolts connecting said receptacles in continuous side by side relation to provide an endless conveyor with a hinge between each receptacle thereof, each receptacle of the endless conveyor including two elongated substantially semi-cylindrical identical sheet metal members, each of said identical members having integral spaced apart eyelet-like portions projecting outwardly from opposite marginal edges thereof, the spaced apart eyelet-like projecting portions along one marginal edge of each identical member being staggered relative to those along the opposite marginal edge thereof, one of said identical members of each receptacle being turned into face-to-face relation with the other identical member thereof with the eyelet-like projecting portions on similar marginal edges of each member in alignment with one another, and the projecting eyelet1ike portions on said members receiving said receptacle connecting bolts for locking each of the identical members of the receptacles against movement relative to one another.

4. In combination, a plurality of substantially cylindrical open-end bottle receiving and carrying receptacles, bolts connecting said receptacles in continuous side by side relation to provide an endless conveyor with a hinge between each receptacle thereof, each receptacle of the endless conveyor including two elongated substantially semi-cylindrical identical sheet metal members, each of said identical members having integral spaced apart eyelet-like portions projecting cut jecting eyelet-like portions on said members receiving said receptacle connecting bolts for looking each of the identical members of the receptacles against movement relative to one another,

:- and a plurality of links having their ends secured to said receptacle connecting bolts and extending across one of the open ends of each receptacle to form a stop for a bottle to be received therein.

5. In combination, a plurality of substantially cylindrical bottle receiving and carrying receptacles, means connecting said receptacles in continuous side by side relation to provide an endless conveyor with a hinge between each receptacle thereof, each receptacle of the endless conveyor including two elongated substantially semi-cylindrical identical sheet metal members, each of said semi-cylindrical identical sheetmetal mem bers of a receptacle having an outwardly flared lip at each end thereof providing a guide for a bottle adapted to be inserted in said receptacle, each of said identical members also having integral spaced apart eyelet-like portions projecting outwardly from opposite marginal edges thereof, one of said identical members of each receptacle being turned into face to face relation with the other member thereof with the eyelet-like projecting portions on the marginal edge of said one identical member being adjacent to and in alignment with the eyelet-like projecting portions on the marginal edge of said other member, the adjacent eyelet-like projecting portions on the marginal edges of one receptacle being spaced from other adjacent eyelet-like projecting portions thereof for receiving therebetween and in alignment therewith adjacent aligned eyelet-like projecting portions on the marginal edges of members of an adjacent receptacle, and the projecting eyelet-like portions on said members receiving said receptacle connecting means for looking each of the identical member of the receptacles against movement relative to one another.

J LOWELL GIBSON.

REFERENGES CETED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 806,984 Lawrence Dec. 12, 1905 2,149,561 Thompson Apr. 25, 1936 2,382,619 Earp Aug. 14, 1945 2,446,936 Leithmann Aug. 10, 1948 

